


The Creaking Oaks Reservation

by Belladonna3112



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Post-War, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Corruption, Discrimination, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I´m sorry, M/M, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Swearing, Trauma, Werewolves, god i´ve a potty mouth, no a/b/o though, prejudices
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2020-01-22 20:18:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18534754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belladonna3112/pseuds/Belladonna3112
Summary: After supernatural beings lost the war against humans they were forced to live in the open. Each of them was marked with a tattoo on their forehead that told people what they were. But that wasn´t the only problem both kinds faced. After the war it was inevitable that both sides had hard feelings for each. Both sides suffered losses, families were ripped apart and friends died. The kinds hardly lived peacefully with each other even though the war was over. Supernatural beings faced constant discrimination and humans still lived in fear. The atmosphere was tense and so the government decided to do something against the discrimination by forcing both kinds to live side by side for a year. They hoped that this project would help both supernaturals and humans to get along and end the impending rebellion of the supernatural beings before it really begins





	1. Project Artemis

Chapter 1

Jisung

Jisung was right about ready to throw a tantrum. His hands were quivering in suppressed anger while he resisted the urge to tear the letter in his hands apart. Changbin and Chan weren’t home yet as Changbin had afternoon classes and Chan was still at work, but Jisung could assume that their reaction to the paper in his hands wouldn’t differ from his own at all.

Honestly, to him it was a stretch that the government allowed the monsters that hid in society to stay alive after the war. They were dangerous, resembling animals more than they resembled humans. And yet they somehow were enabled to live on like they weren´t, almost like human beings with a right to vote, to go to school. It was as if the war never took place, other than the mandatory tattoo on their forehead there weren’t any consequences for the supernatural. They just continued on with their lives while he was left to mourn over his parents. And the murderer was still out there somewhere, unfazed by his crime and living as if nothing ever happened.

The audacity of the government was really something else. First, they rejected his pleas to look into the file of his parent´s murder and now they decided _he_ was the one that didn’t fit with society anymore and needed to learn about “supernatural culture” (as if this beasts even had a culture). Of course, Jisung was aware of this new governmental project. They tried to “close the gapes that were inevitably caused by the war and all the losses both sides had to face”- their words not his. Or to put it differently: They wanted to let people that weren’t content with the way the government handled the post-war-politics live with a group of supernatural beings in their save little reservations. He wouldn’t be surprised if this people disappeared in there, never to be seen again. After all, they were basically imprisoned with animals.

The reservations were founded roughly one year after the war and were supposed to protect supernaturals as well as humans. The base concept was that humans weren’t allowed to enter the land and supernaturals weren’t allowed to leave. If a human dared to gross the borders none the less they were fair game to kill for the supernaturals and same went the other way around. However, over the years many hunters disregarded the rules and went to hunt for supernatural beings even inside these save havens. That was when the PSB, the party of supernatural beings, first appeared. Among other things, they demanded better protection of the reservations and equal rights. This ridiculous project Jisung was forced to partake in was part of their agenda as well.

Jisung let out an angry huff and dropped onto their worn living room couch. He was still feeling about ready to explode with rage his whole body shivering in anger and- even though he´d never admit that- fear. To be sent to a reservation was a death sentence. Reservations were off limits for humans and the monsters inside there would probably see the three of them as a snack or something. Jisung closed his eyes shuddering as the image of ending up like his parents crossed his mind. This was a catastrophe.

Slowly the anger left him and made place for fear and the worst horror scenarios. Jisung was never allowed to see his parent´s corpses but he had had nightmares of their deaths for years so his mind was quiet familiar with scenarios like this. Jisung bit his lip as he pulled his knees to his chest.

_Damn it Jisung, get a fucking grip._

Jisung didn’t know how long he actually sat on that couch, but it must have been hours because he only got out of his trance-like state once he heard the jingling of keys outside of the flat which indicated that Chan was done with work, meaning it was around 7pm. On any other day Jisung would have welcomed the other excitedly but today he barely looked up when Chan stuck his head through the door. The older immediately sensed that something was wrong and set down on the couch, slinging an arm over Jisung´s shoulder and forcing him in a side hug. “Sungie, what´s wrong?” Chan asked with a concerned expression. Jisung, however, had no intention of explaining this whole dilemma to his hyung and instead just pointed with his finger at the damn letter that he had thrown on the couch table over the course of the last hours. Chan sighed. “Did you fail a test? That’s nothing to beat yourself up over, Jisung.” Despite the situation Jisung was getting irritated. That obviously wasn’t a test paper. Damn Chan and his none-existent brain. “No, hyung, just take a look.” Jisung demanded, still refusing to explain the situation to the older. Saying it out loud would make seem more real. Chan thankfully didn’t protest further and instead grabbed the letter. 

“Dear Mr. Han you surely have heard of our new governmental project to assure better coexisting of supernatural- and human beings. If not, we included a second paper that discusses the details of the project. We are proud to tell you that you are, after careful examination of your personal background, included in the project and will spent the next year, as of 25th of March, in the reservation 'Creaking Oaks' near Busan. You are expected to stay in front of your flat at 5am sharp with your luggage the same day. Feel free to call us under… if you have any questions. Sincerely, Jung Hyungsyuk (Minister of Supernatural Integration)”

The further Chan read into the letter the paler he got- and that said something considering his already white complexion. His eyes widened and he immediately dropped the letter only to envelope Jisung in another hug, this time turning the younger so that they were facing each other and pulling his face onto his shoulder. “There are two other letters in the kitchen, addressed to you and Changbin hyung. The envelopes are similar so I´m assuming the content is as well.” Jisung who clung desperately to Chan at this point announced. Chan swallowed hard, but his answer surprised the younger. “Good, I´m not letting you leave on your own and I´m sure, Changbinnie feels the same way.” “You don’t even know if you are assigned to the same reservation, hyung.” “We better are. We´re not letting you go into this hellhole alone, Sungie.” Jisung was honestly relieved that he wouldn’t have to go there alone. Did that make him a bad person? Maybe. After all, a good brother wouldn’t want his family to live through this hell together with him. Still, there was a sense of comfort in knowing that he wasn’t going to be alone under these monsters. Maybe everything would turn out fine.  
_Wishful thinking, Jisung. Wishful thinking._

Minho

Woojin got the call from Hyungsyuk early in the morning and honestly it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Minho. After all, every reservation was inclined to partake in the project. Still, he had hoped that the government somehow forgot about their petty little forest. They didn’t, obviously. So, now they were supposed to let humans into their save haven, into the only place where they could be who they really were without judgement. It was supposed to help with discrimination or whatever. Nothing that concerned Minho as he did absolutely not plan on mingling with humans ever again. And yet he had no choice but to obey. He wasn’t the one who got to decide. Hack, not even Woojin as their official alpha had a say in that matter. They were expected to accept what the government agreed on, even though nobody inside the reservation was keen on meeting humans again. He´d lived 13 blissful years without any human contact and he´d be lying if he said he missed it. In fact, he still had nightmares about the horrors of the war, not that the higher-ups cared about the mental health of a werewolf. 

God, he was so frustrated. He felt absolutely helpless and Minho despised not being in control. Honestly, as soon as Woojin told them about their participation in the project Minho´s mind went blank. He didn’t think, didn’t listen to his packmates screams for him to stay and just shifted and ran off into the forest. Not the smartest move but a natural reaction: Running away from danger. Of course, he knew that the project wasn’t something he was able to run away from but he had always been someone who listened to his instincts first and his mind only second. 

Right now Minho lay by the shore of the lake close to the border of the reservation. It was a favorite place of his- a place where he could get lost in his thoughts for hours without someone bothering him. Aside from him only Felix knew about the lake as it was well hidden behind some widows and the other members of his pack never were too interested in mapping out the forest. Minho and Felix were the only ones that frequently left their “village” in their wolf forms. The others preferred to stay close to the houses and most of them only ever shifted if necessary. Woojin and Seungmin even went grocery shopping once a week, leaving the reservation and the protection it offered even though it was technically prohibited. Minho had no idea why they risked that, but the food they brought was good, so he had given up on complaining long ago. 

Woojin was probably worried as hell right now, with Minho storming off without a word about where he was going. Everybody in the pack knew how much he despised humans and they all must have guessed that his reaction wouldn’t be positive. However, Minho never told anyone in the pack about the reason behind his hatred. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them- they were his family- he just wasn’t ready to talk about it, even now, more than a decade after the war he simply refused to even think about what happened. He was actively repressing all memories, only ever reliving them in his nightmares. Most likely not the healthiest way to cope, but the only way he knew anyways. 

The prospect of humans in his territory, however, was enough to trigger the memories and Minho wasn’t sure what to do about it. The calming atmosphere around the lake helped him tremendously, though. 

_Everything is going to be fine. It´s only one year and nobody said that you have to interact with them. You can just ignore them and pray that the government accepts that their project is useless._ Yes, that was an idea. He´d just avoid the humans whenever possible, stay in the forest for most of the day. That wouldn’t be that much of a change anyways. Minho had always preferred nature over the pseudo civilization of the village. 

Once he came to decide that avoidance was the best way to deal with their human visitors he felt ready to head back into the village. Woojin was probably about to have a heart attack and he never meant to worry the older. 

Sighing he heaved himself back up and threw a last look at his favorite place. The lake almost looked like a mirror at this time of the day, the sun directly hitting the calm surface of the water. The limbs of the widows, surrounding the shore, swayed lightly in the wind and birds chirped in their crowns. It truly was a beautiful place. 

The way back to the village was like second nature to him. He had lived in this forest a long time and prided himself with knowing every single tree by heart. He didn’t even have to concentrate, his feet found their own way back while he thought about how he should apologize to Woojin. Because it was certain that he had worried the older by storming off without a single word. 

He had yet to come up with a proper apology when he spotted their village. It honestly wasn’t even deserving of that name; they just called it that for the lack of a better fitting noun. Their village was placed roughly in the middle of the reservation on a clearing. It wasn’t much, eight houses, seven of them as small as a summerhouse. The eighth was bigger; it was like their shared house, where they ate or hang out situated in the middle of their village and probably the place his packmates waited for his return. Thankfully, they knew not to bother him when he ran off like that, though it always worried them if he wasn’t back an hour later. 

Minho didn’t head straight for the main building, though, and instead chose to go for his own house and a set of clothes beforehand. He hurriedly shifted before his door and went straight for his closet, carelessly dressing himself in the first things he grabbed. Then he hurried over to the main house as he worried over his still none-existent apology. Screw it, he´d have to improvise. 

As soon as Minho opened the old wooden door he was pulled into a bear hug. Not too surprising if he was being honest. Woojin always waited close to the door when he ran off. When he had first come to the reservations Minho had fought the hugs. Over the years he had come to accept them though- not that he had another choice with how touchy feely Woojin and- since he came to live in the reservation 2 years ago- Hyunjin were. Recently he even started to enjoy the displays of affection, though he´d never admit that. 

Minho sighed and reluctantly wound his hands around his friends back. 

“I´m sorry hyung. I shouldn’t have run off… again.” Minho wasn’t able to see the elder´s face but from how strong his grip was, he could imagine how worried he´d made the other. He felt so guilty. 

“It´s okay, I should have anticipated your reaction. I know how you feel about humans after all.” Woojin murmured and then released him from his hug “Now come on, the others are waiting in the living room. They´re probably just as worried.” 

Minho followed Woojin without protest, his head hanging low at the prospect of not only having worried Woojin but the others as well. He was their hyung damnit, he should be a good role model. 

Their living room was the most comfortable place in the whole village. There was a big fireplace at the door opposite of the door. Many sofas and beanbags were situated around it. At the moment, all of his packmates somehow managed to squeeze themselves on their smallest sofa, immediately jumping up when they heard the two of them enter the room. 

“Minho hyung!” was the only thing he heard before he was tackled to the ground, not even able to distinguish who was on top of him. 

“Never do that again, we were so worried!” Ah, that was Felix. 

A few seconds later, there was another weight on top of him. Seemed like the younger members wanted to squeeze him to death. 

“I´m sorry, Lix. Now, get up, will you. I can´t breathe.” Minho complained with a playful tone. Felix and whoever was the second guy on top of him complied. With a relieved sigh Minho sat up again, for the first time meeting his packmates eyes. 

“Look, I´m really sorry. I didn’t want to worry you… it´s just… I didn’t think at all. Once Woojin hyung said that we´d have to let humans live with us my mind just draw a blank.” He ran his fingers through his hair while trying to explain his thought process. The problem was that he hadn’t thought at all. 

“Just drop it, hyung. It´s okay, just try talking with us next time instead of running off, yeah?” Jeongin spoke up. He was always the first to berate his packmates even though he was the youngest. Minho nodded ,a sad smile on his face as he knew that he´d most likely end up fleeing the situation again in the near future. It was always like this. He couldn’t help it and the others knew that as well. That was probably the reason why they were never really angry with him. 

“Now come here. The couch is way comfier than the stupid floor.” Hyunjin said as he made grabby hands towards him. Minho relented and squeezed himself on the hopelessly overfilled couch. Honestly, the floor probably was more comfortable at this rate, although, he didn’t find it in himself to care as Felix draped himself over him. This may not be the most comfortable position but it was soothing. Not in the same way the lake was. It was just a place after all but in a way only family could calm him. Woojin who had chosen to sit inside one of the beanbags instead of the couch decided to speak up again. 

“Since you decided to run off this morning would you want to get the rest of the information?” the words may seemed harsh but Woojin´s tone was calm. He just made sure that Minho was ready to talk about the issue again. 

Minho bit his lip while contemplating. Woojin gave him a way out. If he wanted to drop the subject he could. 

“Go on. I probably need all the information I can get.” He decided to say in the end. It was true, the more he knew about the humans the better he could avoid them. 

“Mr. Jung was very sparse with information though. I hardly got anything out of him. I only know that there are three of them, all male and that there are scheduled to arrive on the 25th of March. That means we have exactly a month before they come here. The three of them will sleep in the spare house, even though, it will be a tight fit. But I assume they will not want to stay at any of our houses.” 

Minho gulped. One month, that wasn’t enough time for him to prepare to meet a human again. Then again, 100 years probably wouldn’t be enough for that. 

“What do you guys think about that?” He finally asked. His own reaction has been so violent that he disregarded his family’s feelings. Time to fix that. 

“I don’t know what to think, honestly. I´m excited. This will be my first time meeting people outside of Kijang. But they can´t be too nice if they were forced into this program.” Seungmin sounded dejected. That wasn’t a big surprise. The younger grew up in an orphanage, thinking he was human till the end of the war. Only the mandatory blood test afterwards showed that in fact, he wasn’t. He was placed in the reservation immediately after even though he was only four years old. You should think that he was young enough to accept his true nature but the child still seemed to opt for a human appearance. Minho never judged him though. All of them had had it rough after the war and the last thing they needed as a pack was judgement from inside their rows. The whole world judged them hated them. So they had to stick together as a family at least. 

“I see what you mean” Hyunjin said “I would really appreciate a decent conversation with people from outside of the reservation. But damn, if they are in any way like the people from my old school that will not happen. They hated me just because I am different.” Hyunjin was the last who got into the reservation. He had lived with his parents in Seoul until two years ago, went to school there just like a normal boy. 

Only that he was a werewolf and everybody knew with one look and well, let´s just say that they did not appreciate supernatural beings at all. Originally werewolves look like regular human beings. The only difference is in the DNA really. There simply is no way to tell the two kinds apart. However, the human government made sure to change that about four years ago. The supernaturals were forced to tattoo a symbol that resembled their kind on their forehead. It was a cruel thing to do because they basically forced the supernatural beings to live in a goldfish bowl. There was no chance to hide and therefor no chance to escape discrimination. It was also the reason Hyunjin was with them now. And one of the many paragraphs in the treaty that put their kind at disadvantage. 

“Come on guys. There is no need to be this pessimistic! Maybe they are nice.” 

_Sure, they´ll be super nice and bring a little present as a thank you “for having them”._

“We aren’t pessimistic, Lix. You are optimistic. Let´s be real. They´ll hate us.” Jeongin deadpanned. 

“Yeah, I´ll make sure to sleep with a knife under my pillow.” Seungmin added with a slightly psychotic look on his face.To think that he thought of Seungmin as cute when he first met him. This child was the devil himself. 

“What do you need the knife for? You´re a werewolf. Just rip their throat out or something.” Minho had to backpaddle. Jeongin was far worse. 

“Hell no! The taste would be gross. I´d have to brush my teeth for hours to get rid of that. The knife is way cleaner.” Okay they were both bad and he had no clue who was actually worse. He only knew that he was glad that they were on his side. 

“Nobody will murder anyone. They are our guests!” Woojin clarified with an angry huff while looking at the two youngest with a scandalized expression. At that Minho couldn’t help but start laughing. It would all turn out fine. He was with his family after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, I only now realise how much longer Minho´s intro is. Originally they were supposed to be roughly the same length… guess not. 
> 
> So, quick information:  
> Firstly, this fic will be long, because I´m no good at writing anything short and I love myself some slow-burn  
> Secondly, chapter lenght should be around 3000-5000 words depending on how much time I have  
> And lastly, I will try to update once a week on Saturdays.


	2. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,  
> I´m actually surprised that I managed to update on time.  
> This, honestly, isn´t my favorite and I especially struggled with the first paragraph. For real though, I rewrote it about four times and I´m still not satisfied, but oh well. Just bear with it and the rest is slightly better, pinky promise ;)
> 
> Oh, and on a side-note: The characters views are completely biased, if you haven´t noticed already. So, take their views with a grain of salt.

Chapter 2

Minho

Nothing was turning out fine. The month leading to the human´s arrival was passing by unbelievably fast. Before Minho realized it spring was coming, trees slowly started to grow leaves again and insects started flying through the air. Usually, he really enjoyed the sight of nature waking up from its hibernation but this year he almost felt like the prospering life around him was mocking him. How could everything seem so alive when all he was feeling was dread? How come time was passing by at lightning speed when all he wanted was for it to freeze?  
His packmates seemed to grow more and more anxious as well. Hyunjin had started to bite his hands again, the little marks at his ball of the thumb giving him away, and Seungmin was bothering Jeongin even more than usual. Everybody was awaiting the humans with tense anticipation. Woojin was still cleaning the spare house where the three would stay in for the year. Honestly, the hut was already cleaner than his own would ever be and he doubted that the humans would appreciate their effort.  
It was the early morning of the 25th of March. The sun had yet to rise and the others were probably still in the land of dreams- aside from Woojin, of course. However, Minho had yet again been woken up by a nightmare- the 5th night in a row. It hadn´t been this bad for years but Minho guessed the impending meeting with the humans had triggered them. Another reason why he wished these damn humans would stay the fuck out of his life.  
Minho was sitting at the utter border of the village, leaning against a tree and facing the house Felix slept in. He waited for his friend to wake up so that they could enjoy their last hours of freedom together. It was roughly half-past 5 in the morning and the humans were supposed to arrive at 9am so Minho had less than four hours till his life would turn into hell. Hopefully, their car got stuck in a traffic jam…  
"Hyung! What are you doing here this early? You should get some sleep, you look terrible." Minho flinched at the noise. Damn, he didn´t expect anyone to be up this early in the morning. Jeongin was standing right in front of him, though. He hadn´t even realized that the other was there until he was called out. God, he really was out of it today.  
"Nahh, I won´t be able to sleep anyways, besides I want to be conscious in this last few hours of peace." _And I´m actually fed up with the nightmares._  
"You look as if you´re about ready to collapse, though. The others are concerned, you know?" Jeongin sighed and dropped down next to him. Of course, Minho always managed to get the others worried. Was he really that much of a wreck?  
"I´m fine, just a little restless because of the full moon." _Liar. Liar. Liar._  
The younger didn´t seem to buy it either, the doubtful thrown on his face was a far cry from his normally carefree smile. What Minho told Jeongin right now wasn´t completely wrong though. He was always a little more affected by the moon phases than his packmates and he did feel a little bit antsy because of the upcoming full moon but that wasn´t the cause of his sleeplessness.  
"If you say so" Jeongin thankfully decided to drop the topic, though he still eyed the older with sharp orbs "But you didn´t answer my question. What are you doing here?"  
Minho sighed, letting his head fall back against the trunk of the tree. "I´m waiting for Felix to get up. He promised that we´d go for a run today." Usually, Minho was the one to grasp the nettle of asking the younger to go out, but the day before Felix came up to him instead of the other way around. It was surprising, to say the least, though Minho wasn´t too sure if he appreciated the propose. He often got the feeling that the younger only went with him to make sure that he was safe as the others tended to be overly worried about him. Felix asking him for a run was almost offending to him. It showed him that they didn´t trust him to take care of himself."  
I doubt that he is going to wake up soon though. He´ll probably till the humans arrive. How about I go with you and we leave a message with Woojinie hyung?" the youngest asked with an earnest look and his cute sparkling eyes.  
Minho was dumbfounded. Felix asking him out was unexpected, Jeongin doing the same was way more unlikely, so much, in fact, that Minho pinched himself to make sure he was awake. He was.  
"You sure? You always end up complaining about how weird I am if we are together." Minho joked.  
"Sure. I´m used to you by now. Besides, I don´t think that you are in joking mode today." Jeongin shrugged already standing up and walking in the direction of the spare house to talk to Woojin. The last part wasn´t something he could deny. Minho was in a horrible mode, though, he tried to mask it in front of the others- not that he did particularly well on that. He straightened up as well as leaning against the tree while he waited for the younger to come back. It´s been a while since the last time he actually was alone with the youngest. Honestly, he hardly ever had one-on-one conversations with his family members, aside from Felix. That didn´t mean that they weren´t close, though, it was just the way they functioned.  
While Jeongin was gone, Minho decided to shift to avoid conversation with the other, again avoiding confrontation by fleeing the situation.  
Honestly, shifting was no process that was nice to look at. Even Minho as someone who grew up surrounded by werewolves had to admit that. Actually, it looked kind of gross and really painful, even though, it wasn´t. To him, the process was always relaxing. The cracking of breaking and rearranging bones? Sure, it was painful, but in the same way, the adjusting of a dislocated shoulder hurt- a relieving kind of pain.  
After pealing his clothes off and carefully placing them on the branch of the tree. He had ripped too many of his clothes over the years and by now always made sure to put them off before shifting. The process went by like a blur to him. He had been through it many times before and hardly had to concentrate as his body rearranged itself. The change in the body came naturally to him. He had always felt more alive in this form and that showed now, too. The forest seemed way more inviting as a wolf, he almost felt like it was calling him. Minho loved the way the energy coursed through him in this form, the magic in his veins prickling and tickling. The way his senses immediately sharpened was pure bliss.  
Soon after, Jeongin came back from Woojin and nodded once to indicate that they had his okay. Minho let out a delighted bark at that, not even having to fake his happiness.

 

Jisung

His hyungs definitely weren´t morning persons. Both were fast asleep as soon as they entered the car that would bring them to the reservations. Jisung, on the other hand, had been awake the whole night, knowing that he was far too nervous to get an ounce of sleep. Even now, in the early hours of the morning, he was far from tired. Honestly, it was a miracle to him, how the older two stayed this calm. You´d think that they were on their way to visit Chan´s grandmother and not a forest full off monsters with how unbothered they were.  
It was roughly two hours of Jisung worrying over the outcome of their trip later that Changbin finally stirred. The older´s languidly fluttered open, his mouth that he´d opened while asleep closed and he dazedly looked around the van they sat in.  
"Where´re we?" Changbin slurred, his words barely audible and still raspy from sleep.  
"Don´t know. But we´re about half-way there." Jisung shrugged as well as he could as Chan´s head rolled on his shoulder around an hour into the journey. The oldest mumbled something in his sleep and clutched at Jisung´s arm, probably bothered by the movement.  
"I see. Since when are you awake?" Oh, the elder assumed that Jisung had slept along with them. "For about an hour. I woke up when this koala decided that I´d make a good pillow." Jisung lied smoothly. Changbin would only worry if he found out that he hadn´t slept at all.  
The older eyed them with a frown, then suddenly started laughing. "What is this wet patch on your shirt, Sungie? Chan hyung drooled all over your shirt." Changbin commented between his laughs, all sleepiness from his voice gone. An unmanly screech left the youngest throat at that, not only making him momentarily forget about his anxious thoughts but also startling Chan awake. Jisung had never seen the oldest retreat from a hug this fast. One moment his head was on his shoulder and the next it was already banging against the window in his hasty attempt to get away from the source of the scream. Wide brown eyes stared at Jisung and Changbin. Chan seemed to be wide awake already and scanned the car for what could have caused Jisung´s screech, looking like he was ready to bounce whatever danger.  
It looked hilarious and Jisung couldn´t help but start laughing, too. "God hyung, keep your hair on! That wasn´t the banshee screaming, it was Jisung. You drooled on his shirt." Changbin said while trying to keep a straight face.  
Chan immediately relaxed at Changbin´s explanation. It seemed like he wasn´t as casual about the situation as he pretended to be. The oldest was way jumpier than normal. Somehow, that made him feel better about the situation. It showed him that the older boy was just as vulnerable as he was, that Jisung wasn´t overreacting.  
The last few hours of the journey went by in relative silence, as all of them were caught up in their own thoughts. Still, the mere presence of his brothers was enough to calm Jisung´s racing mind down. It was going to be alright. They could manage a year, couldn´t they?  
_A year with the things that killed your parents? Sure, that you´ll manage that?_ A part of him demanded to know, fuelling his hatred and reminding him of why he couldn´t even bear with any supernaturals being in the same room as him, let alone living with them for a year.  
_They´re monsters. Feral animals disguised as human beings._ His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden absence of the motor´s noises. Without the gentle stutter of the machine, it was eerily quiet, too quiet for Jisung who was used to the never-ending ruckus Seoul provided him with. Total silence just wasn´t something he was used to or had ever experienced for that matter. There was always something going on in Seoul- be it the constant noise of the cars on the roads or the chatter of hundreds of people in the City Center. Even in the latest hours of the night and the early morning, there was never this deafening silence. People were always awake and about, the nightclubs of the capital making sure of that. As ironical as it sounded, Jisung truly felt like he was going deaf from the lack of sound. Then a voice broke through the wall of stillness.  
"We´re here. Get your luggage and follow me. We won´t get any further with the car, the forest is too thick." It was their driver who bossed them around with a harsh voice, shooting them a half-glare, that shut down any protest Jisung might have had before he could even think about voicing out any complaints. So, the three of them silently collected their suitcases and proceeded to continue the journey by foot.  
Honestly, though, the driver had a point. The forest they were currently going through was thick. Trees that were already starting to grow there leaves stood side by side, in a sporadic pattern. It was beautiful, but Jisung soon lost all sense of direction, having no idea where they came from as everything looked so similar, just trees over trees- and as far as he knew they weren´t even in the reservation yet.  
He unconsciously moved closer to Changbin, who moved a few meters to his left, seeking reassurance in the unknown territory. Suddenly their driver halted again, without any reason it seemed to Jisung- at least at first, till he spotted the fence that cut a swath through the forest. It went on as far as he could see in both directions and on its other side the forest looked darker, somehow more threatening to him. It seemed to be even thicker on the other side, no sight of the little path they had been following to this point.  
"That´s as far as I am allowed to go. I´ll open the gate for you, but afterward, you´ll be on your own." the driver explained with a blank face and monotonous voice, not an ounce of sympathy in his expression. He jiggled with his keys and opened a little door right at the end of the path. Jisung had failed to notice this opening beforehand. This was it, the prison he´d be trapped in for the next year and he couldn´t even run away anymore, not with how far into the forest they went. He´d get lost in no time.  
Then, Jisung felt a sweaty hand grasping his own freezing fingers, squeezing it slightly, reassuringly. Chan had disregarded his suitcase to grab both his and Changbin´s hand. He sent Jisung a strained smile, that didn´t mask the eldest worry at all and gulped once. "It´s okay, guys. We´re going to be okay." Chan´s voice quivered slightly but at the same time had some kind of determination to it. Jisung saw how Changbin nodded once and slowly relaxed his shoulders. Jisung gritted his teeth and forced his head to make a nodding motion. It was stiff and abrupt, probably hardly passing as a nod. But Chan accepted it as his consensus and reluctantly went back to grab his suitcase. The driver was impatiently tapping his foot against the forest floor by the time they stepped through the door. It was immediately closed and locked behind him, trapping them inside the reservation for real. The driver didn´t even bite them goodbye before turning around and leaving in the direction of were Jisung assumed the car was.  
"Rude," Changbin commented an annoyed scowl on his face. Jisung would have wholeheartedly agreed with the older any other time, but right now he couldn´t find it in himself to care. They had problems other than an unfriendly driver. For example what the heck they were supposed to do now in this unfamiliar forest without any directions on where to go. Jisung just got ready to voice his concerns when he heard a rustling in the forest in front of them, quickly shutting his mouth and eyeing the bushes warily.  
The other two seemed to have noticed, as well. Chan moved in front of the younger protectively.  
"Who´s there?" he asked. A question Jisung found to be quite stupid since it most likely was an animal that wouldn´t answer anyways. To his surprise, however, a humanoid figure stepped out of the woods. He was slightly bigger than Jisung and had a face that he´d consider almost round if it weren´t for his sharp jawline. The guy wore a grey sweater and washed out jeans as well as a pair of well worn Vans. The most striking detail to Jisung was the tattoo on his forehead, though. The tell-tale sign of the werewolves- a slightly outlined crescent moon, attracted Jisung´s attention almost instantly. His eyes grew wide while fear and hatred battled inside his body, the conflictive instincts of either fleeing the scene or punching the thing square in the face tried to take over, making his body shake.  
"I´m Kim Woojin. The alpha of the pack that lives in this reservation. It´s very nice to meet you." his voice and words were very polite, though, they sounded like a memorized speech to Jisung, not holding any real meaning or sincerity. The werewolf even bowed at the end of his sentence and, thereby, forcing a scoff out of Jisung. He couldn´t help it. The wolf was being ridiculous.  
Chan, however, seemed to have a better grip on his emotions as he offered the alpha a fake smile, that probably looked convincing enough to somebody who didn´t know him well.  
"I see. I´m Bang Chan and these are Seo Changbin and Han Jisung." the reply was curt and missed the "Nice to meet you, too" part courtesy would require of the elder, but he actually managed to bow his head slightly. To Jisung´s horror Changbin proceeded to do the same, leaving Jisung as the only one who didn´t. He still refused to bow to this monster though and instead glared challengingly in its direction. The wolf couldn´t kill him anyway, the government would make sure to punish it accordingly, so why the fuck not? His provocation was ignored entirely, though, as the werewolf nodded in acknowledgment and moved for them to follow it, saying something about a village.  
Jisung didn´t bother with its rambling about the pack as he instead looked around the forest. It wasn´t as menacing as he first thought it was. Honestly, it wasn´t all that different from the other side of the fence, only the trees stood even thicker, making it a struggle to move a suitcase without it getting stuck under a root or inside a bush. He probably looked pretty dumb stumbling about and trying to keep pace with the wolf. Its movements were undoubtedly smooth, somehow avoiding the roots without even looking down onto the floor while it chatted with his hyungs. Jisung didn´t know how long they were following the alpha, but the sun was already pretty high up in the cloudless sky and they stopped so that the humans could take off their jackets as it was getting too warm for the thick winter clothing they had been wearing in the fresh morning air. It was warm, despite them being protected from direct sunlight thanks to the trees, perfect wetter to sit on their small balcony and maybe draw something. He still had this unfinished drawing of Changbin at home- Jisung loved teasing the elder with small caricatures of himself because his reactions were always hilarious…  
His thoughts were interrupted as he stumbled over a root in the way and faceplanted onto the floor. In his fall Jisung uselessly fumbled with his arms in the air. Damn this godforsaken forest! Once he straightened up again the others were already gone, no trace of them left. Jisung had already been trailing behind the other three as he, firstly, had no interest in conversing with the werewolf and, secondly, struggled with his suitcase. He had always made sure that they stayed in sight, though. It seemed like they hadn´t realized that he was missing and just continued on, leaving Jisung behind and lost.  
"Chan hyung? Changbin hyung?" Jisung screamed with all his might, just in case they were still in earshot. And then he stood frozen in place as he knew that one should stay in place if lost. He just hoped that the others heard his shouts and scrambled back to collect him. _Damn them._

 

Minho

Silvery-white ears perked up with the scream that pierced through the forest. Minho had parted ways with Jeongin a while back because the younger wanted to go back to the village to greet their "guests". Minho had blatantly refused to head back with him until the younger had given up his reasoning and let him be.  
He had dozed on a little clearing about a Kilometer away from the village when he heard the unfamiliar voice. It wasn´t too far away from him and sounded something between angry and scared. Minho instantly knew that it was one of the humans that were due to arrive sometime this morning- the humans he wasn´t at all ready to face.  
So, his first reaction was to ignore the voice. It wasn´t his problem if this petty little human got scared.  
However, curiosity got the best of him and before he knew it he found himself standing up and heading in the direction of the voice. After all, he didn´t have to interfere and could just look at what the ruckus was about without revealing himself.  
As soon as Minho got close to the place where he assumed the scream came from, he crouched down and sneaked closer, cursing his white fur for being so obvious in front of the still bare forest. He carefully crawled forwards, ears close to his head. He could smell Woojin and three other people, still unknown to him. The three were way more obtrusive though. Stenches he hadn´t been confronted with in a long time overpowering their natural smells. Exhaust gases, they stank of the polluted air in the city and Minho crinkled his nose in distaste as he tried not to puke at the putrid smells.  
Soon after he was actually able to see a single human sitting against a tree and silently mumbling profanities. A suitcase was carelessly dropped next to the boy. He pouted, round cheeks slightly puffed out. He was adorable, though, the colorful curses that constantly left his mouth spoke a different story.  
Minho didn´t need long to figure out that he had lost the others and didn´t know where to go. He seemed calm, maybe an angry with the ones that had left him behind, but not panicky at all, at least until Minho took another step closer. Damn, he hadn´t even noticed that he had moved until big innocent eyes moved in his direction.

 

Jisung

Jisung had decided to settle down against a tree after nobody reacted to his screams. No answer, nothing.  
Agitation cursed through his system and he tried to keep calm, cursing his hyungs silently.  
_"It´ll be fine, as long as we are together." Great Chan, but what about now, huh? Will it be "fine" now, too, after you left?_ Jisung wasn´t scared, at least, that was what he was trying to convince himself of. He was angry, but not scared. Why should he be, honestly? It wasn´t like he was alone in an unknown forest full of monsters.  
_Well, it´s your own fault for tripping. You could be safe with your hyungs, but no._ Suddenly there was a flash of white from the corner of his eye. He instantly turned around, trying to face whatever had approached him. It was a wolf, or well, a werewolf, by the size of it. Its white fur contrasting greatly with the brown of the forest. Dark blue eyes met his own in an instant as Jisung resisted the urge to back off. The wolf wasn´t growling or showing its teeth, but it still looked threatening as it was almost twice the size of a normal wolf and had a huge scar over its left eyelid.  
It was his first time seeing a werewolf in its wolf form. The ones in the city weren´t allowed to shift as it could scare human citizens and Jisung definitely saw why now. The sight of this beast alone made him feel hopeless and entirely petrified. The wolf seemed to be in a similar state, though.  
Or well, at least it was frozen in place as well, not moving a single muscle as it scanned Jisung. The human didn´t know if it was just waiting for him to move so it could pounce on him or if it was truly frozen in fear. He doubted the later solution, though.  
Before any of them could make a move, the voices of his hyungs sounded through the forest, shouting his name with panicky voices.  
The werewolves ears perked up at the sound and Jisung heard an actual low growl leave its throat while it bared its teeth. A second later it disappeared into the forest, leaving no trace of its existence behind.  
Chan and Changbin emerged only seconds later and latched themselves onto the youngest as they apologized profusely for losing him. Jisung was still in shock but somehow managed to fake an indignant pout, playfully scolding his hyungs for forgetting about him. They were soon joined by the packs alpha, who bowed his head and politely asked for Jisung´s forgiveness.  
"Keep it. Just make sure you actually get all of us to this village of yours this time." Jisung snarled while glaring at the werewolf with hatred. It was the first thing he had said to the other the whole morning and he must say that he was proud of the venom that laced his voice.  
The alpha blinked twice at the words but showed no reaction otherwise. Instead, he just turned around and led the way to the village. Jisung just rolled his eyes and followed close behind.  
He didn´t know what he had expected from the place the wolves stayed at, but it definitely not this. Maybe caves or primitive straw huts, not actual small houses and in the middle another house, the size of a normal one-family-dwelling. It all looked pretty civil if he was being honest, not what he´d expect from feral animals. But then again, the werewolves weren´t the ones who build the houses, the government had, the wolves just lived here.  
"The three of you will be staying in this house" the alpha stated as he pointed to a house furthest away from the big building. "We´d let you stay in your own houses, but the others are all occupied. It will probably be a little cramped, but I´m sure you´ll manage. The others are waiting in the main building to meet you. Feel three to first make yourselves a home in the house, though. There´s no need for you to rush, just come over when you feel ready." The wolf was being disgustingly polite again and Jisung decided that he really did not like him at all.  
Although the offer to calm down from the meeting with the white wolf sounded like heaven to him. After that the werewolf went to what Jisung assumed to be the main building, disappearing into the building and those leaving the three humans alone.  
"Well then, what are you two waiting for? Let´s go!" Jisung exclaimed in a cheery voice. He did not like the way his friends frowned worriedly at him "And stop looking at me like that. I´m fine. You literally left for what? Ten minutes? It´s no big deal, really." Changbin sighed and complied, moving in the direction of what would be their home for the next year as Jisung was walking behind him, cheerfully skipping his steps, like he knew he normally would. He didn´t really feel like it but he had to get the worry out of his Chan´s expression. _Besides, it will be fine._


	3. First Encounter

Jisung

The insides of the little house were surprisingly clean, though very sparsely furnished. There was only one closet, squeezed to the wall left from the door, and three beds that stood in straight rows on the other side of the wall. They were bare of comforters, just the mattress inside of the bedframes. What Jisung noticed immediately, was that the bedroom was the only room inside of the small hut, neither a bathroom nor a kitchen attached.  
The hut only had one window on the right side. From there you had a view of the forest behind the village. Changbin instantly sprinted toward the bed closest to the window, while Jisung wandered off to the bed closest to the door, dragging his suitcase behind. Chan subsequently settled in the bed in the middle, without protest. Jisung was sure the eldest was already plotting a secret snuggle attack against the other two. He was well known for forcing affection on his friends, especially Jisung and Changbin, as they were closest to him. The youngest was already seeing the forced hours he´d need to stay in Chan´s bed. Not that he really minded and he doubted that Changbin did either. In fact, Chan´s hugs were always comforting, even though a little suffocating at times.  
The other two had immediately started unpacking, while Jisung sat on top of his bed, watching the other two as he was way too lazy to bother with unpacking right now. He knew himself well enough to realize that neatly putting away his belongings now would be in vain, anyway as he was quite messy.  
"Yah, Jisung. You better start unpacking now. I know you. You won´t do it later on." Changbin exclaimed as he gently placed his munchlax-plushie on top of his pillow. The glare the older sent him stood in absolute contrast to the gentleness with which he handled the stuffed animal. Jisung wasn´t intimidated in the slightest. He had long since learned that Changbin was one of the softest human beings he´d ever met, despite his tough exterior. Therefore, Changbin only got an unimpressed stare in return, before Jisung yawned widely, not even bothering to cover his mouth with his hands. The signal was clear and caused Changbin to grumble under his breath as he went to store his own clothes in the closet.  
Chan didn´t seem to want to drop the topic this soon, though. "Jisung" He started in this certain tone, that warned the younger that he´d be in trouble if he didn´t listen to the Chan "At least unpack the suitcase. I´ll help you with your bed later."  
Jisung sighed heavily but stood up and opened his suitcase to store his clothes away. The action didn´t sit well with him. It somehow felt as if he accepted this whole situation by making an imprint on the house. This wasn´t a place he wanted to be at and stuffing his clothes in the closet somehow was as if he came to terms with his stay.  
_Never_.  
Jisung was procrastinating with the task on purpose. He knew that Chan would drag them to the main house as soon as they were done. Something along the lines of not wanting to keep the inhabitants of the reservation waiting. Jisung though... he wasn´t ready. Every time he met a supernatural being it was too much, too many emotions that bubbled up at once. Fear, hatred, anger. And he never knew how to react to so many negative feelings at once. He didn´t realize, how strongly his hands were trembling until Chan worriedly grasped his wrist and took the clothes in Jisung´s hands from him to put them in the closet himself.  
"Hey mate, are you okay?" Chan asked, while his concerned gaze seemed to bore right into his mind.  
"Fine, hyung." Jisung gritted out and forced an all too perfect smile on his face. It would seem genuine to many people. It wasn´t, though. _Too perfect, obviously fake_.  
Chan didn´t buy it either, eyeing him doubtingly.  
"Drop it, hyung. I´ll be fine." the indication was clear. He wasn´t fine _right now_ , but he wouldn´t talk about what was bothering him either. The older would be able to guess it anyway.  
Chan finally relented after he realized that Jisung wasn´t willing to share his concerns. "Fine. But keep in mind that we are here if you want to talk."  
Jisung just nodded and continued unpacking once Chan had freed his wrist. His hands were still quivering but none of his friends commented on it.  
By the time their suitcases were emptied and the beds were upholstered it was evening. The sun was slowly nearing the horizon again, painting the forest in gentle shades of orange. It was cold outside, Jisung realized as they exited the house, the warmth of the day vanishing as it made place for the almost winterly cold of the night. He shivered as he put his hands in the pockets of his jacket and followed the other two in the direction of the main house. Something inside of him was still reluctant to meet the pack but he decided to just get it over with.  
He remembered the wolf he had met earlier in the day, remembered how vulnerable he had felt in front of the pure power the beast had radiated. And that was only one wolf. Jisung did definitely not want to know how powerful the whole pack put together was. They were getting closer and closer to the main hall as Jisung eyed the house like a deer would eye the hunter- or well, the wolf. He gulped and straightened his back while training his face into a scowl. It was easier to look angry than neutral because he actually felt anger. So much anger that he was actually able to hide his fear behind it. He hated these things, he would let them know that, but the fear? The fear was a secret he´d keep.

 

Minho

Minho was in the living room with the others. He came back to the village shortly after he had encountered the human and was sitting on the couch right now. Hyunjin was lying there as well, fast asleep as he used Minho´s lap as a pillow. Minho himself would never know how the younger was able to sleep in a situation like this. The room was silent, even though everyone was present. The tense atmosphere hung over the room like fog. Woojin was sitting on the same beanbag as he sat earlier in the day, nervously biting on his nails. Jeongin and Seungmin were curled up together on the floor, their backs leaning against the sofa. This sight was what showed Minho how tense these two really were. Jeongin actually accepting Seungmin´s attempts to cuddle him was a rare sight to behold. Usually, the youngest would jib against the affection with all his might. Today, however, he was desperately clinging onto the elder, seeking comfort instead of avoiding it. Felix was situated beside him, an arm tightly thrown over Minho´s shoulder as he effectively trapped the elder in a side-hug.  
Felix hadn´t uttered a word since Minho came back hours ago. The youngers gaze seemed far away as he eyed the door just as attentively as the rest of them.  
It was late already and Woojin would probably soon stand up to make dinner, even though it was clear that the oldest was reluctant to leave the rest of them behind. To him, it probably didn´t matter that the kitchen was right in the next room. Minho would have offered to prepare the foot instead, but he was shit at cooking, just as everyone else aside from Felix... maybe.  
Eventually, Woojin stood up and left for the kitchen, sending the others an apologetic look. Felix just shook his head beside him and waved the eldest off, still not uttering a word. Not long after the smell of whatever Woojin was making wafted over into the living room, resulting in Felix´s stomach to grumble. Minho raised an eyebrow at his friend. It was hard to believe that this kid managed to be hungry even in this situation while Minho found it hard to even think about food right now.  
"What? I´m still growing!" Felix exclaimed with a scandalized expression. His words effectively cut through the tense silence and actually brought a half-smile to Minho´s face. It was tight-lipped, but an actual smile.  
However, at the same time it made Hyunjin stir in his sleep, the younger mumbling something unintelligible and turning once in his sleep.  
"If that is what you want to make yourself believe…" Seungmin chipped in.  
Felix was about to protest as the front-door opened, effectively cutting the impending argument off. The atmosphere that had warmed slightly with their bickering cooled off again immediately, while they waited for the humans to come into the living room anxiously. Well, Woojin had declared that they weren´t that bad, but that could have been to lessen the youngers anxiety.  
For the next minute or so, nothing but the rustling of jackets and shoes from the hallway and the gentle clutter of the silverware in the kitchen could be heard. The wolves all held their breathes as they waited for the humans to enter the room.  
Minho reluctantly shook Hyunjin´s shoulder to wake him up. He knew the younger would like to be awake when the two parties first met. An unwilling grumble left Hyunjin´s throat as he tried to get away from his hand, almost falling off the couch in the process.  
"Wake up, Jinnie, their here." there was no need to declare who "they" were as Hyunjin shot up instantly. Wide eyes scanned the room frantically. Felix just shook his had and pointed in the direction of the hallway. At that Hyunjin relaxed a little and sunk back down. His head landed in Minho´s lap yet again. He didn´t find it in him to protest, however, grateful for the closeness of his friends.

 

Jisung

His hands were trembling again as they made their way over to, what he assumed was, the living room, so he hid them behind his back while following his friends. Chan actually knocked on the door before entering. The voice that answered was smooth and definitely did not belong to the wolf that led them here. It missed the slight hoarseness that Jisung associated with its voice. It was a nice voice but sounded somehow void of emotions. It was not exactly cold but rather detached in the way you´d recite a text in a language you don´t understand.  
_Creepy._  
Chan nodded in his direction once, a reassuring smile on his lips and then he opened the door. The living room they entered was actually quite cozy with beanbags that seemed to almost invite to sink into and a big comfy looking couch in the middle. The walls were painted in a warm orange and the carpet was really soft under his feet. It had a homey feeling to it that was sadly ruined by the wolves inside the room.  
There were five of them inside the living room, however, as far as Jisung could tell the alpha was missing. All of them looked in their direction with blank faces, only one was actually smiling, though, even that seemed forced. The room was filled with silence until Chan sighed and bowed curtly.  
"Good evening. My name is Chan and these are Changbin and Jisung." he said awkwardly only to be made with more blank starring from the wolves. At last the one that had been smiling at them from the beginning stood up from the couch and stepped in front of Chan. It bowed as well, the bright smile never leaving its face.  
"I´m Felix. Nice to meet you." Jisung was more than shocked by how deep the wolves voice was. It didn´t fit its round face at all.  
By then the other werewolves began to move as well, introducing themselves one after the other. Jisung, however, wasn´t paying attention anymore. He didn´t care about their names. Instead, he moved his gaze from wolf to wolf as he searched for the scar the white wolf had over its eye. Soon, he had to realize, though, that all of them had clear complexion, not a sign of a scar.  
Chan and Changbin had nodded along with the introductions, bowing politely whenever one of the wolves did.  
"And who are you?" Chan suddenly asked, not unkindly. Jisung hadn´t even realized that there was a wolf that hadn´t introduced itself. His gaze followed Chan´s line of sight to the werewolf that still sat on the couch, not having moved after they made their entry, a shocked expression etched onto its face.  
It was a beautiful being, Jisung had to admit. Captivating, cat-like eyes that were blown wide in shock stared directly at Jisung. The wolf didn´t react to Chan´s question, it didn´t even seem like it had comprehended the words at all. A ragged breath left the wolf´s lips. It was forcedly clutching the armrest of the couch while clenching its jaw.  
"Minho hyung?" the one called Jeonsuk (or something along these lines) asked a worried look dulling the glittering of its eyes. That seemed to get the wolf out off whatever trance it was in. It blinked, regaining a blank look in the process and said in the same detached voice that invited them into the room.  
"I´m Minho." A curt reply and it did not even bother to stand up and bow like the other werewolves did. Instead, it dashed off in the direction of a second door.  
A wolf that Jisung hadn´t caught the name of sighed as it watched the other werewolf- Minho- leave the room. It then turned back around to face him and his friends  
. "I´m sorry, Minho hyung is a little… wary of new people. Don´t take it personally. He´ll eventually warm up to you, eventually." It declared an apologetic smile on its face.  
"Yeah, whatever." Jisung shrugged while rolling his eyes. The wolf rapidly turned to him when Jisung answered, only to be met with Jisung´s hate-filled gaze "Doesn´t matter anyway. I´m definitely not planning on getting close to anyone here." _You´re monsters. You killed my family._  
If Chan and Changbin wouldn´t have been in the room, Jisung would have voiced out the last part as well. But he didn´t want to agitate Chan too much. Honestly, even what he had said right now could get him in trouble with Chan. Even though the older wasn´t too fond of supernaturals himself, he insisted on at least being decent with them.  
Jisung had never had this kind of objections. Their feelings simply didn´t matter to him just as his feelings hadn´t mattered to them all those years ago.  
"Jisung! Behave." Chan chastised him in a tone that warned him of taking this any further. He faintly reminded him of a mum scolding their children, so much, actually, that he had to refrain himself from saying "Ok, mum." With how agitated Chan looked that´d be suicide.  
"It´s fine, Chan-ssi. I´d rather have him express his hatred freely than faking politeness. We´ve had worse comments thrown at us, anyway." Hyun-something declared, not even looking offended. It had the same pseudo-polite tone to its voice that Jisung had hated with the alpha.   
Said alpha stuck his head through the same door Minho had disappeared through before. A genuine smile appeared on his face as it looked at the humans.  
"Dinner´s ready." he announced "I´ve made chicken." the name of the dish was said with an admiring tone, obvious delict playing in the alpha´s eyes.  
"Again? We´ve had that three times this week already!" the wolf Jisung didn´t know the name of, protested, shiny eyes glaring at its alpha.  
"If you want to complain, you´re invited to cook tomorrow." The alpha snarled defensively.   
"Hyung, no! You know what happened the last time you let him near the kitchen." Felix panicked. The look it was sending the alpha reminded Jisung of the way he riled of Changbin by complaining to Chan about insignificant things the older had done, mischief in his eyes and a teasing undertone in his voice. Jisung ignored how similar his own behavior was to the wolf´s own mannerism. It was disturbing, seeing any similarities between himself and that monster. Inwardly he reasoned that that was behavior they copied from humans, a way to deceive them, to make them seem like humans. He didn´t acknowledge the fact that there was no reason for them to pretend anymore. supernaturals lived in the open anyway.  _They´re monsters._  
"Now, come in the kitchen. And no more complaining about the food." the alpha glared at each wolf in the room, before lifting its gaze to the humans. "You can come to, there is enough for anyone." The kind smile it sent the three of them really annoyed Jisung.  
"Thanks, Woojin-ssi." Chan said with a neutral expression and made his way over to the kitchen.   
Changbin waited till Chan and the wolf went off to the kitchen, but then turned around to talk to Jisung.  
"Listen, I´m not too fond of the wolves either. But try not to rile them up on purpose. You don´t have to like them, but at least be civil." Changbin said as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and led him in the direction of the kitchen. 

Dinner was awkward, to say the least. The rest was already sitting around the table, even the wolf who had run off before was already seated. There were two seats left, one beside Chan and the second empty seat and the other beside the nameless wolf. Jisung hurriedly strode to sit beside Chan and to his surprise, Changbin didn´t even protest, just sitting down beside the wolf wordlessly.   
The food was delicious, though, that wasn´t something Jisung would ever admit. Chan was just filling his fourth plate while Jisung was still picking on his first. The food may taste great but the atmosphere made him lose all his appetite. To top it off, he was feeling the eyes of Minho on himself the whole time. He was staring at him blankly, seemingly lost in thought. Damn, the guy hadn´t even touched his food once.   
"Is there something on my face, or why are you staring?" Jisung asked with as much venom in his voice as he could manage, breaking the awkward silence that had overtaken the table. Everybody flinched at his sudden exclamation, Minho included. The guy seemed to recover quickly, though as his blank expression changed to a glare immediately.   
"Bold of you to assume that I was looking at you. I was just lost in thought and you happen to sit opposite of me." Jisung was impressed that the distaste in the wolf´s voice actually managed to rival his own.   
Jisung wanted to reply, but felt Chan´s elbow in his side before he could, the warning clear.   
"So..." the alpha cleared its throat awkwardly. "What are you doing for a living Chan-ssi, Changbin-ssi?"  
Chan saw the change at actually making a civil conversation and took it gladly.   
"Actually, Changbin and I are still studying. I´m part-timing at a supermarket, though. Jisung is in his last year in high-school."   
"I see, what are you studying?"  
Small talk, how much Jisung hated small talk, at least with supernaturals. He groaned inwardly and tuned the conversation out yet again, instead he started to eat.  
Hopefully, this torture would end soon.  _I want to go home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,  
> this chapter is quiet short because I have final exams next week and have yet to study for my English exam, though I was reasoning, that writing could count as studying (still, this isn´t "To Kill a Mockingbird")  
> To top it off, I actually managed to lose half of this chapter because the stupid WIFI disconnected. Meaning I had to rewrite a good part of this amd I´m still missing the original *sigh* it was so much better.
> 
> But anyway, I´m rambling. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you guys next week :D


	4. Deja Vu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waaah, this is late and short :(((  
> I´m so sorry. I was caught up with my finals and well, barely had time to write (biology is a real bitch)  
> But now it´s here and biology will be the last test and then I´m free. Sooo more time to write, at least till I enroll in university :D  
> I really hope I can continue with Saturday updates from the next week onwards. 
> 
> Anyways, unrelated, but did you guys listen to the new A.C.E track? This song is true fire <3

Jisung  
Jisung had lost count of the times he wanted to murder Chan over the course of that dinner. The older managed to keep a pretty decent conversation with the werewolves going while Changbin threw in an occasional comment. The atmosphere was still a little awkward, but most of the werewolves looked considerably more relaxed. In fact, Chan was already happily chattering away with Felix as the other wolves were silently listening to what they said. Jisung, on the other hand, was spacing out again, blankly staring ahead of himself while contemplating if leaving the table would be worth risking Chan´s wrath.  
His thoughts, however, were interrupted by the clattering of silverware being basically thrown back on the plate, soon followed by the scraping of a chair against the wooden floor. The wolf that had been staring weirdly at him was standing up, and leaving the room.  
"Minho!" the pack´s alpha shouted out, a warning clear in his voice. The wolf ignored Woojin, though and seconds later, the sound of the front door being pushed close echoed through the suddenly quiet kitchen.  
"I´m sorry about that. Minho isn´t comfortable with new people." Woojin stated as he bowed quickly in the direction of Chan.  
"I´ll go after him." Felix offered, all conversation with Chan forgotten. Woojin just nodded as he massaged his own forehead. He looked kind of stressed out by the situation. The room was lulled in awkward silence as soon as Felix left. All of them were just staring at their still half-filled plates, suddenly all thoughts about eating forgotten.  
"Well, seems like Minho-hyung killed the mood again," Seung-something spoke up, a weak smile stretching across his face as he picked up his and Minho´s plates to dunk them into the sink. Woojin laughed half-heartedly and asked if everyone had been done with dinner. All of them nodded, even always hungry Chan. Minho seemed to have killed not only the mode but also their appetite.  
Honestly, Jisung couldn´t have cared less since he had been literally two seconds away from pulling the same move. This Minho guy had saved him from Chan´s scolding, though.  
"m heading off to our hut," he declared, already half-way out of the room.  
"Yah! At least clean up your plate!" Changbin´s scream went ignored by Jisung, though. The older would do it for him in the end, anyway.

  
Minho

He had tried really hard. Actually, he was quite sure he´d be able to get through the evening just fine. Maybe not participating in the conversation with the humans but at least tolerating their presence. Damn it, he would have managed if it wasn´t for this kid, Jisung. He hadn´t noticed in the forest, but this guy had a startling resemblance to them. Ghosts that haunted his past, that he only ever dared to think about in his nightmares. It was shocking, really. This human had the same eyes that had plagued his nightmares for years.  
Minho had tried to ignore it, ever he made eye-contact with the human. Ignore the itch under his skin, the desperate attempts of his body to get him out of that room. As he knew deep down that Jisung was none of his demons, the kid looked way too young. And yet. Yet, those eyes wouldn´t leave him.  
They were sucking him back into a time he desperately wanted to forget. Memories he had buried in the furthest corner of his mind, drowned under all the happy times with the pack pushed their way to the surface yet again. And, well, the wall he had carefully constructed around those specific memories threatened to crumble by just looking into those hate-filled eyes.  
The moment he felt the first brick fall was the moment he basically jumped up from his chair and left as room, not being able to stand the humans´ presence any longer.  
It was like the day that he learned about the humans´ planned stay all over again. Him bolting out of the house and sprinting towards the see again.  
  _ _Pathetic. Fucking pathetic._  
_

He didn´t bother turning and instead ran in human form, enjoying the cold breeze of the spring night on his bare arms. It was freezing outside, technically too cold for the t-shirt he was wearing. Minho couldn´t find it in himself to care much, though, the shivering of his body was a nice distraction from his thoughts. However, it also made the tears that were running down his cheeks very apparent to him as the wetness was basically biting into his skin with how cold it was.

_Pathetic, so pathetic._

By the time he arrived at his lake Minho was quivering violently, though, he couldn´t tell if it was because of the temperature or the sobs that threatened to wreck his body.  
Another piece of the wall was shattering, leaving a small hole in his wall. It was just big enough to accommodate the eye that was glaring at him from the other side. Wide, doe-like eyes filled with so much hatred.  
It was like one of his nightmares only that he wasn´t asleep, but wide awake.  His vision was blurry due to the tears that kept streaming down his face as they prevented him from properly taking in the calming atmosphere of his favorite place. His breathing was harried, only interrupted by occasional sobs.  
"Hyung?" Felix´s voice suddenly pierced through the mess that was his thoughts at that moment. The older werewolf swallowed once, trying to put his mask back on, to restore the wall. He didn´t want his friend to see his breakdown as he didn´t want them to worry more than they already were.  
"I´m here, Lix. I just needed a break. You know that I can´t stand humans." Minho really hoped that Felix didn´t notice how thin his voice sounded or how it cracked in the middle of the sentence.  
The footsteps that belonged to the younger were getting louder as he approached Minho. Felix´s face was blank while he handed Minho a jacket, pulling his own closer to his body. He then wordlessly sat down in the grass, petting the spot next to him.  
Minho sighed as he obediently settled down next to the younger. He was thankful that it was so dark because it was harder to see how swollen and red his eyes were from crying.  
"You sure? You seemed a little off this whole evening." Felix observed as he tried to get the older to look him in the eye.  
"I haven´t talked to anyone other than you guys for years now, Lix. Of course, I´m acting weirdly." Minho tried to reassure the other. He wasn´t looking Felix in the eye, afraid that the younger would notice how swollen and red his eyes undoubtedly were.  
"Sure, hyung. For how dense do you take us? It´s obvious that there is something going on with you. Just talk to us so we can help you." Felix said lowly. His voice had a sad tilt to it, making Minho´s resolve almost crumble. Damn, he sure had a soft spot for the younger.  
Still, he couldn´t burden his family with what happened during the war, wasn´t even allowed to talk about it.  
"It´s alright, Lix. I´m just a little uncomfortable."  
"No, hyung, you´re not. If you were only 'a little uncomfortable,' you wouldn´t sit here probably three minutes away from a panic attack" At that Minho perked up, shocked. His wide eyes locked with Felix´s as he finally glanced up from the floor.  
"What? You think I´m stupid or deaf? I´m sorry hyung, but you are not as good of an actor as you seem to believe yourself to be." Felix stifled a yawn as he laid down on the floor, his brown eyes focusing on the moon.  
 Minho bit his lip nervously while following Felix´s example and directing his own gaze on the sun´s counterpart. It was funny, how a simple rock in the sky could represent everything, that he hated and loved at the same time. The moon was his freedom, while also trapping him inside this reservations. Without its form, tattooed on his forehead, he´d be free. Minho was a slave to its phases and yet felt free while looking at it. It was paradoxical and yet it made perfect sense to him.  
"The moon is almost full," Minho mentioned offhandedly. It was a weak attempt at changing the topic. Felix seemed to think so as well, as he raised an eyebrow.

"You are not going to use this as an excuse again, are you? Save it. Jeongin didn´t buy it, and neither am I. We know that you are a little on edge when the full moon nears, but this is different." The younger declared, his eyes still fixed on the waxing moon.  
"Fine, don´t believe me, then." Minho threw his hands in the air helplessly.  
"Oh, come on, hyung. Stop sulking. I´ll believe you once you tell the truth."Felix finally turned to the side, facing the older head on. "Honestly, I won´t give you the 'we-worry-about-you-speech.' I think Jeongin and Woojinie-hyung did better than I could with that, anyway. But know that you can trust us with whatever you are keeping from us. Nobody here will judge you and-"  
"Before you waste more of your breath on this shit: It´s not only that I don´t want to talk about what´s bothering me. I simply can´t. Blood contract." Minho knew that he sounded mean, almost bitchy and he felt bad for it, but the younger wouldn´t quit pestering him unless he was a little mean.  
Felix's looked at him dumbfoundedly as he tried to make sense of the worlds the older was throwing at him.  
"Blood contract? But why would you agree to sign a blood contract? This shit is dangerous, hyung!"  
Felix was right, of course. "This shit" was dangerous. A blood contract bound the person that signed it to every paragraph in it. Breaking the contract meant death, as the paper was cursed. The treaty was sealed not by a signature but by a drop of blood, that was also the reason why the contract was called "blood contract." However, the performance of this curse was prohibited by the government after the war had ended. Ironically, it was also a representative of the government that forced him to sign the contract.  
"I know, Lix. After all, I´m the one, who has to be careful that nothing that I say infringes the contract. One wrong word and I´m dead." Minho had never planned to reveal his dilemma to the younger. Besides, it did not really matter, because he wouldn´t have revealed anything, even without the blood contract.  
"I see. But why didn´t you go to an official? You know that the government´s witches could just break the curse."

_Well, they would never do that. They were the ones that placed the curse in the first place._

Minho shook his head. "I can´t tell you, Lix. The curse would be activated." The officials weren´t stupid, after all. But the blood contract would at least be an excuse for the others to stop bothering him, even though he had never wanted to reveal the curse.  
"Is there no way around it? You could write it down or something." Felix asked worriedly.  
"Nope, sorry Lix." Minho shrugged nonchalantly and stood up. "Come on, I´m freezing."  
"Oh no, hyung. Before we go, I want you to show me the mark." Felix said, grabbing his hand and forcing him back down on the grass.  
"Seriously, Lix? You don´t believe me? I´m hurt!" Minho put on his best wounded-kitten (or wolf) look as he pouted at the younger.  
"Cut the crap, hyung. I´ll believe you once I see the mark myself."  
The 'mark' or blood mark was like his certificate for the contract. It had basically burned itself into his shoulder, the moment his blood dripped onto the contract paper.  
"It´s on my shoulder and I literally just told you, that I am fucking cold."Minho snapped, unable to hold his already strained temper. "If you want to see me undressed, you´ll have to wait till we are back in the village."  
"Okay, okay. But don´t think that I´ll forget about it."

Chan  
"God, I´m sorry about Jisung. I swear he´s not always like this." Chan apologized to the polite alpha.  
He and Woojin were the only ones left inside the main house. Changbin had left shortly after Jisung, mumbling something about teaching the brat a lesson. Chan didn´t worry, though, knowing that the two were most likely cuddled up on his bed by now.  
"It´s fine, not like Minho was being too polite either." Woojin laughed drily.  
"Still, you guys were so welcoming and Jisung just..."  
"Chan-ssi, it really is alright. Honestly, we have expected and dealt with much worth. You and Changbin-ssi were really kind, so there is no reason for you to apologize."  
Chan was shocked by how indifferently the werewolf acted. Jisung had been really rude and yet, Woojin didn´t seem to be affected by his words at all, even stating that they had expected far worse.  
Woojin who was currently washing the dirtied silverware in the sink turned slightly in Chan´s direction while speaking, as the human dried of the plates the werewolf had cleaned. It had been a real struggle to convince the older to let him help with cleaning up the kitchen. Chan, honestly, wanted to get to know Woojin. He seemed polite and had a charming smile as well as a character that seemed to draw him in. Something about the wolf simply fascinated him.  
"What do you mean, 'you´ve expected worse?' Jisung is bad enough." Chan asked hesitantly, not sure if he was crossing any borders.  
"Well, this whole program is about helping humans who hate us learn to understand the supernatural. So, naturally, we assumed that all of you actually hated us. Like... I don´t know, even Jisung was quite civil compared with what I experienced in the city. He, at least, didn´t throw the food at us, or something like that." The smile on Woojin´s face grew sad, his eyes seeming to lose focus as if he was remembering something from the past. Chan was suddenly feeling unexplainably protective over the older. Who would do something like that to the gentle soul in front of him?  
"You look like something like that happened to you, Woojin-ssi," Chan said, still a little cautious about being too nosy.  
"Not really, I grew up in the outer districts of Daejon. There live more supernaturals than humans, so I hardly ever had problems. One of the others had problems like that, but that isn´t my story to tell." Woojin shrugged, though, Chan was still aware of how sad he looked for the other wolf.  
"Honestly, I´m really not too fond of supernaturals either. My parents and my younger siblings were killed in the war. A group of vampires ran havoc in my home village and they ripped their throats out in front of my eyes. Would have gotten me, too if it weren´t for those soldiers that were alarmed by the village´s alarm bell." Chan spilled out, deciding to open up himself instead of asking the other inappropriate questions. Woojin seemed quite surprised by his sudden confession, blinking rapidly as he stared at him.  
"Oh... Sincere condolences, then." The atmosphere suddenly turned pretty awkward as Woojin violently scrubbed one of the pots. The werewolf obviously had no idea how to react to his words, biting his lip in contemplation.  
"How come, you are so polite, then? I´m not trying to be rude, by the way, just curious." Woojin finally spoke up, still not looking the other in the eye.  
"Out of common decency, I guess. Only, because I don´t like something or someone, doesn´t mean, that I have to actively express my hate against it. Besides, you guys didn´t do anything to me. I´m just stuck in the past, which makes me the bad guy, not you. I´ll get over it, eventually."  
"Such wise words, Chan-ssi," Woojin commented, a real smile stretching over his face as he handed the, now clean, pot over to Chan.  
"Are you making fun of me, Woojin-ssi?" Chan gasped playfully, for a moment forgetting that the person he was talking to wasn´t human. The other truly had a beautiful smile. The way his eyes scrunched up so adorably...  
_What the fuck, Chan? What are you even thinking?_  
"I´d never dare, Chan-ssi."


	5. Morning Light

Minho  
"Shit mate, that´s…"  
"A blood mark. Are you satisfied now?" Minho finished drily, shrugging his pullover back on. He sat down on the sofa in his little house and patted the space on his left in invitation. Felix sat down gladly, something haunted in his look.  
"How come I never noticed?" He asked, not responding to Minho's question. His eyes settled on Minho, big and worried.   
"Well, it's not like we run around naked here. Plus why would you pay that close attention to my back? I mean, I have a nice back…" He had to trail off as Felix had started to make gagging noises at his attempt to distract from the topic.  
"You are way to narcissistic, hyung. It´s unattractive." Felix said, raising an eyebrow at him.  
"Good. It´s not like I´d like you ogling me as you did with this grumpy human. That´d be gross." Minho replied while trying to keep the smugness out of his voice. He knew how the younger would react even before the red started spreading over his cheeks. Felix was so much easier to distract than Jeongin.   
"I wasn´t…"  
"Don´t even try Lix. I´m not dense either." In fact, Minho thought of himself as someone quite receptive. He wouldn´t have been alive today if he wasn´t.  
"Fine. Maybe I was ogling him, or rather his muscles. I don´t see where that´s your business, though." Felix sighed, giving him a pouty look.  
"It isn´t. I´m just making a point." Minho shrugged and then decided to take his chances. "It´s late and I´m fucking tired by the way." He pointed out, about as subtle as someone blasting a hole through the front door with a bazooka, instead of knocking.  
Felix just chuckled, back to his bubbly self in seconds. God this kid was prone to give you migraine at one point or another. "I can imagine. I´m sure you haven´t slept that well yesterday. If Jeongin´s report is anything to go by."  
"You spoke with Jeongin?" He asked, giving the younger a pointed look.  
"We all did. We are just…"  
"Worried. I know. And I thought you didn´t want to give me that speech?" Minho couldn't help but sound slightly irritated. Everybody was worried about his wellbeing, even though, it was his job as the hyung to care and worry for them. Definitely not the other way around.   
"I won´t. In fact, I´ll just go to bed now, too. It was quite the exhausting day." Felix clarified, fake yawning to get his point across.  
"I´m sure it was. I don´t know how you managed to hold that fake smile up the whole time. It certainly did look painful."  
"That´s just because you never smile." Minho immediately opened his mouth to protest. "Smirking and smiling isn´t the same, hyung." And just like that, he had to close it again.   
The simper the younger was giving him was sad, and Minho expected him to dive further into that topic. Telling him to smile more.  
You have such a beautiful smile, sweetheart. Minho shook his head, trying to get his mind out of the past. The sudden flashback wasn´t welcome at all, and he shivered while recalling her voice, sweet like honey but so obviously wrong. It really was a shame that he had never forgotten the tone of her voice. Wasn´t that the first thing your brain was supposed to delete?   
"Anyways, I´ll take my leave. Those rings under your eyes look like you´d need some sleep." Trust Felix on reading small changes in the atmosphere, and making sure he stayed in Minho's comfort zone.   
"Got it. Goodnight, Lix." Minho said, flicking the other in the forehead just for good measure.   
"Goodnight, hyung." The other pointedly ignored the abuse as he stood up and left the house, only turning around with a glare as he was already halfway out the door. He didn´t address the flick verbally, though.  
And Minho couldn't help the contented warmth that filled his stomach at that.

/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/

Jisung  
Against all of his expectations, Jisung actually had an at least somewhat peaceful night, especially if you took into consideration where he was. Namely, in the middle of the territory of the things he hated (and maybe also feared) most. In all honesty, he didn´t expect to get even an eyeful of rest. But against all odds, it was after a full four hours of sleep that a nightmare forced him out of his slumber.  
He startled awake, sweaty and entangled in his sheets. His fingers were gripping his bedding so hard they were trembling. He nervously scanned the room for any danger, hardly able to see more than outlines in the moonlit room. But then again, the figure he was looking for was barely more than a shadow. Someone name- and faceless that had ripped his parents apart again and again in his dreams. Their screams still echoed in his ears, high pitched and agonized, and Jisung had to bite his lips to prevent a pathetic whimper from leaving them.  
He didn´t want to wake up his friends who were still sleeping peacefully. The room was empty, aside from Chan and Changbin. Empty and silent. Only Changbin´s quiet snoring could be heard, and Jisung relaxed when he noticed the familiar sound. A stagnant sigh was leaving his lips as he was sinking back into his cushions. He was safe. It was just a dream.  
Yet, he didn´t even try to fall back asleep. It would be a waste of effort: Even at home in his own bed, it was hard for him to get any sleep after a nightmare as bad as this one. Here, in an unfamiliar room, an unfamiliar bed, upholstered with sheets that didn´t smell like home but like some horridly floral detergent, it seemed impossible.  
Thus, he tossed and turned in bed, plagued by scenes from his most recent nightmare.  
A red puddle that was slowly swallowing the brilliant white flagging at his parents' clinic...  
Jisung tossed again, turning towards the window and glaring up at the almost full moon as if it was to blame for his misery (in a way it was) as if it was the one sending him the nightmares (it probably wasn´t).  
A severed arm, lying in the center of the puddle, spilling more and more red while losing its own color…  
Jisung sat up with a jolt. He sighed in frustration. The room felt more and more like something imprisoning him with each passing second. The air was stale from three people sleeping inside a small space and it barely felt like he was getting enough oxygen in here. Of course, he did. But his body felt like it was suffocating. Flickers of his nightmares were flashing in front of his eyes faster and faster as if someone was flashing through a slideshow right in front of him. Faster… faster.   
Jisung was bolting out of the room without thinking about it, in need of space and fresh air.  
And fresh the air was. Goosebumps formed on his arms immediately as the cold air of an autumn night hit him. The dew-wet grass was freezing against his bare feet, and Jisung started trembling.  
Despite that, he felt way better out here. It felt like he was able to breathe again, and he consciously took deep long breaths of the cold night air.   
Jisung stumbled over to the next tree and sank down against its trunk. He didn´t even care that he got his pajama pants all wet. He was staring straight ahead, still unfocused but at least not trapped inside the creations of his nightmares.  
Nightmares weren´t real and yet they were his reality: He didn´t actually know how his parents died, hadn´t seen their corpses or the crime scene. "Werewolf attack"; that was all he had ever been allowed to know. Nothing about the closer circumstances. That didn´t help with the nightmares, on the contrary, it left his mind to fill gaps, allowed his twisted brain to come up with new crueler scenarios every time. Somehow, the nightmares became more frightening and detailed with time, instead of fading like an old photo.   
If it hadn´t been for this supernatural scum, this would have never happened.  
Jisung scoffed weakly. He wondered how Chan managed to be so indifferent towards the werewolves. How came that their reactions to this new situation were so different, even though, their pasts were so similar. Chan hated the supernatural with the same resolution he did… and, nonetheless, the other treated the pack as he did with every new acquaintance of his: with his inherent politeness and friendliness. As if they weren´t monsters who could (and would) rip them apart without a thought. Jisung didn´t understand what his friend was thinking. Chan, whom he thought of as a brother. Chan, who he had always been able to read like an open book. And now, he had no clue what was driving his friend.   
Jisung didn´t know what was going on inside Chan´s head. Damnit, he was unsure that he knew what was going on in his own head.  
He was angry, but with whom? With Chan? With this way too polite pack alpha? He didn´t know.   
All he was sure of, was that he had lost the only ally he had within a day of being here and, therefore, he was also lost… so lost.  
His inner turmoil was interrupted by the noise of a dry stick breaking. It sounded over from the forest, which seemed closer than he remembered it to be in daylight. From his perspective, it just looked like a big looming black hole, everything but the first line of trees was swallowed in darkness, not even the moonlight broke through to the ground.  
"Who´s there?!" he asked, jumping to his feet immediately. His voice sounded shriller and more scared than he would like to admit.  
"Whoa. No need to piss yourself. I was just on the way back to my hut." The answer came from inside the forest as someone emerged from its depths. "I´m not gonna maul you." The shadowy figure immediately reminded him of the beast that plagued his nightmares.  
Faceless. Nameless  
He stiffened.  
The figure stepped out into the moonlight, which immediately cast its light onto the other's face. It was one of the wolves, one Jisung didn´t even bother to remember the name of. He had to admit the other had beautiful features, though. Features, the smug smile on his face didn´t match with.   
He decided on the spot that he probably hated this one more than their oh so polite alpha.   
"Well then, go ahead," Jisung growled defensively, piercing the werewolf with a heated gaze.  
The other took a step closer, still an aloof smile on his lips. He was bigger than Jisung by a fair bit he noticed, absentmindedly. There was something dangerous in his eyes, something he usually saw on a cat that was about to pounce on a mouse. It made his skin crawl in a way, only his nightmares ever managed.   
"Now, I can´t do that, given the opportunity. No Woojin here to make sure we stay in line" Another step in Jisung´s direction. "I told you, I prefer it when you act on your hatred over fake smiles. But wouldn´t it be only fair for us to be able to do the same?" He asked, inclining his head as if he was actually thinking about the answer. "You didn´t think, nobody in this fucking pack hates you, did you?"  
Jisung just glared at the guy before him, praying that the senses of werewolves in their human form weren´t heightened enough to pick up on his fright.  
"You all act so aloof, pretending like you are the only ones who suffered through a war. Breaking news: You aren´t. And yet… to you, all of you, our experiences and losses seem unimportant." Something in the guy's voice broke and suddenly Jisung doubted that the shimmering in his eyes was predatory rather than forming tears. "Just know that I won´t tolerate you, shitting on us as people all that long. This is my first and last warning. I´m tired of you humans acting like complete jocks, just because we're different." Hardness settled in his eyes, an icy fire that seemed willing to burn him to ashes.   
Then he just moved past Jisung, continuing on on his path as if the other wasn´t even there. Jisung shivered, but not because of the cold.   
Gosh, this one sure has some anger issues.

/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ

Hyunjin  
Hyunjin couldn´t believe that he had lost his temper like that. Not that he regretted his little outburst. Not really, in fact, had it been quite satisfying to be the one dealing the blows for once. Hyunjin had been a victim for far too long. Ever since the "identification law" had been introduced about four years ago until he got here, he had been bullied and segregated simply for what he was. There hadn´t been a day where he hadn´t been cursed and frowned upon just because he existed.   
The funny part? He´d been one of the most popular students at school before he was forced to get a tattoo... right on his fucking forehead.   
His so-called friends had turned on him faster than he could even blink, and the teachers? Well, his grades made quite a downturn as well.  
It would have been ludicrous, hadn´t it been so sad. Humans were like that. Always ready to fight what they weren´t able to comprehend, what was different. It was simply how they reacted to the unknown. What they didn´t understand they feared, and what they feared, they attacked and oppressed.  
His friends should have understood him, though. They had known him for years. They had grown up together.  
But then again, he had always known what they thought about supernaturals and had chosen to ignore their hatred, because it never mattered to him. Hyunjin looked like a regular human being, after all, nothing had ever indicated that he wasn´t. Not until the government came up with this new law, this new way of oppressing them.   
Hyunjin had always disregarded his friends' disgust of supernaturals had ignored the hits they blew at his kind and covered the bruises they left up to a point where even he wasn´t able to tell if he had been hurt in the first place.  
He hadn´t realized that the constant degradation had already left their scars till the slurs and hate were directed towards him. Once they were, though, he just broke as everything that held him up before was worn thin with the insecurities his "friends" planted before they even knew what he was.  
Hyunjin took the abuse for nearly three years and bottled his own hatred up for far longer. Until his parents took him out of human life and filed an application to get him placed in the reservation. Here he didn´t have an outlet either, no human being, to place his hatred on. However, that changed in the more recent events. And while Chan and Changbin were fine, nice even, this Jisung kid reminded him a lot of his old bullies:   
Ignorant and too stuck-up to notice how wrong their own views were.  
Oppressing minorities just because they could. Only that Hyunjin wasn´t part of the minority here, but of the majority. This time he was the one, holding power and that terrified him more than anything.   
Why? Because he didn´t trust himself with it. Hyunjin didn´t want to be like his tormentors, and yet it felt good to remind that guy of his place.  
He had relished in the fear in the guy's eyes, but now the only thing he could think of was if he had looked the same as his own demons back in the day? Was he acting like them? Enjoying the same things they had?  
Okay, maybe he started to regret, letting his anger get the better of him.

/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/

Minho

Morning came way too quickly in his opinion. It felt like he had barely been asleep for more than minutes when insistent knocking was ripping him out of his well-deserved slumber.   
"Hyung, you awake, already? Breakfast is set!"  
Minho growled instead of answering which only managed to get a good-natured laugh from the other end of the door, Seungmin by the sound of it.  
"Better hurry, then. You know how Woojin hyung gets if we skip a meal."  
He did know and wasn´t too keen on provoking that reaction out of his alpha. Usually, Woojin had a rather mild temper and wasn´t easy to anger at all, but when it came to attending meals, he was pretty adamant about their punctuality. He claimed that meals were important bonding time for the pack, or whatever.   
Minho never cared much. He was as close to the others as he thought, he was able to become and only made sure to attend because it was the only rule Woojin ever introduced to the pack, and it would be beyond rude to break it.   
Today, however, he actually thought about skipping and sleeping in. He was more than tired and pretty sure that he had giant backs under his eyes.   
As he thought about how much he had worried the others over the last few days, though, he decided to suck it up and get his ass out of bed. Woojin had more than enough on his table already and definitely didn´t need to deal with Minho´s antics on top of everything else.   
They had to seem united in front of their visitors, that´s all that Woojin had asked of them (that and to stay civil, but Minho would prefer to ignore the second request).  
He stood up and stretched his tired muscles as he made his way over to his closet. Yet again, carelessly throwing on the first thing he got his hands on (that seemed to become the norm), and stumbling over to the bathroom.   
There probably wasn´t any time left to shower, so he simply splashed some water on his face and hoped that he looked, at least, somewhat presentable. If he didn´t, well, the others had seen him in a worse state (aside from the humans, of course, but he did not care what they thought of him, so...)

Minho wasn´t the last one to enter the main hut, to his surprise. Hyunjin was still missing when he stepped into the kitchen with a grumpy "good morning" in the direction of his packmates.   
The humans weren´t there, either, he noted absentmindedly.   
The others reciprocated with an unnatural cheerfulness. It was way too early to be this happy, in his opinion.  
"Where´s Hyunjinnie?" he asked hesitantly. Minho wasn´t sure if he wasn´t accidentally grassing his friend up by asking for him, but not knowing where neither he nor the humans were made him anxious. What if they ganged up on him like those assholes in his school used to do? Of course, Hyunjin was capable of defending himself, but would he be able to do it. What if he got a panic attack?  
"He wasn´t with any of you?" Woojin asked, addressing the whole pack, "I thought he had crashed at another hut." That wasn´t uncommon. Hyunjin loved any sort of physical contact and craved it like a touch-starved dog. He often sneaked inside the housing of one of his friends in the middle of the night, seeking comfort in their touch. It was his way of coping.  
However, none of them had seen Hyunjin this morning and Seungmin, then confirmed that he hasn´t been in his own hut, either.   
"Maybe he stayed with our guests.", Jeongin joked half-heartedly, apparently sensing the rising tension in the room. It did no good, though, and his words were swallowed by the tense atmosphere.  
Woojin was chewing on his lower lip in contemplation while Felix stared into nothingness with wide eyes. Minho knew what they all were thinking: It wasn´t like Hyunjin to stray away from the huts at all. That was more like something Minho or Felix, and maybe Jeongin would do but not Hyunjin. He didn´t like the forest and preferred their little village tenfold, always complaining about the bugs inside the woods.  
"I´ll go and look for him.", Seungmin decided after a minute of brooding silence.  
Woojin nodded. "Someone has to wake up the humans, as well. Or have you, Seungminnie?" Woojin didn´t sound angry, just resigned, probably thinking about the breakfast getting cold.   
"I did knock on their door. Not sure if they heard me, though.", Seungmin shrugged dismissively.  
"Do you mind checking, Minho?", Woojin asked.  
Of fucking course I do. One part of him insisted while the other reminded him that he had promised himself to help Woojin where he could in this situation. And knocking on a stupid door wasn´t too troublesome.  
"Sure.", Minho said and walked out the door before he could change his mind.  
The sun was already peeking over the trees that surrounded the clearing when he came out of the main house. Dew was sparkling on the grass invitingly. Minho itched to change into his wolf form and wallow in the grass. But he couldn´t, he had something to do, after all  
The hut he was approaching with determined steps was bathed in silence. He couldn´t hear the shower nor muffled talking. As he got closer, his fine ears were able to pick up, someone snoring rather loudly.   
If the other two were able to sleep through that, it didn´t surprise Minho that Seungmin´s (probably comparably tender) knocking hadn´t woken up the boys.  
Minho decidedly ignored the door and circled the house until he stood in front of the window. It was (unsurprisingly) closed. Still, that didn´t stop him. Before he could chicken out, he started.  
"Yah. You better wake up if you don´t want cold Galbitang.", Minho screamed while knocking on the window. He didn´t hold back, hitting the glass as hard as he probably could without breaking it.  
One guy actually fell out of bed in shock, looking around the room with wide eyes in an apparent search for the source of the sudden noise. He had a stuffed animal tightly pressed to his chest as he scanned the room. Minho would have laughed at the sight, had it been one of his friends. As things stood, though, he simply frowned at the human.  
The other two were moving, as well. One of them had his head pressed into his pillow, seemingly trying to tune out all the noise. The other was already looking at him with wide eyes. They looked frightened, not that he cared.   
"You better get moving. Woojin has made breakfast, and he hates it if you skip out.", Minho said, making sure that he sounded absolutely bare of any emotion. His heart was beating away in a panicked triple-rhythm, though, and he was glad that he was the only one who was able to hear heartbeats. Theirs were slow, still sluggish with sleep. Even that of the one who was still stationed on the floor.  
Only one heart in the room was beating away similarly to his own. Which shouldn´t be a surprise, considering the boy had looked like Minho had given him a stroke. He didn´t look in his direction again, though. He looked too much like them. Shaking his head, he scanned the room one last time.  
Deciding that waiting till they were out of bed wasn´t worth it, he simply turned around to get his own breakfast. Although, he was certain that Woojin would make them wait for the humans.

/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/Ͼ/

Jisung  
Jisung had been right: He hadn´t been able to fall back asleep. Especially not after that downright terrifying encounter with the wolf in the wee hours of the morning.   
He couldn´t deny that it had made him think. There was something in the wolf´s eyes that wouldn´t leave him alone. They had looked so helpless in their anger. It had threatened him, asking him to stop acting out his anger while he did just that: acting on hatred. Who did it think it was? Acting all high and mighty? Playing the victim when it was them, who started the war?   
Jisung wouldn´t back down because of an empty thread. The wolf couldn´t do anything, anyway. If it attacked him, the government would execute it.

Shortly after sunrise, someone knocked on the door hesitantly, asking them to get ready for breakfast. The wolf wasn´t loud at all. Changbin´s snoring was louder and didn´t stop after the werewolf left. Chan simply turned from one side to the other and continued to sleep.   
Jisung shortly thought about waking them up, dismissed the thought quickly, though. The less time he had to spend with the werewolves, the better. Maybe they would even forget about them.

Sadly. they didn´t. It wasn´t much later when footsteps approached their hut again. And only seconds later, he was met with unpleasant screaming and knocking. It was the wolf who had run out during dinner yesterday. It was looking inside of the room with a blank stare. Then it was meeting Jisung´s eyes for a second. There was no emotion at all in that look. It was like staring inside a running camera, unresponsive and dead, and it freaked Jisung out more than the open hostility of its packmate. He wasn´t able to spot its intention on its face, couldn´t tell if it would pounce on him or not.  
"You better get moving. Woojin has made breakfast, and he hates it if you skip out", it said, voice just as emotionless as its face.   
Chan was actually moving at that, groggily wiping at his eyes while suppressing a yawn. Jisung barely paid attention to him as his gaze was still transfixed on the werewolf, which turned around without another word, though. Its steps were fast, almost hurried. As if it wanted to flee the situation.  
Changbin, who had, somehow, ended up on the floor over the course of the last few seconds (and without Jisung noticing, as well) was now looking grumpily outside the window.   
"Well, I hope we get a gentler alarm-clock next time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who´s back. *tentatively raises hand* That´s right, me.
> 
> I have a little announcement to make:  
> My laptop broke a few months ago, therefore, the unplanned hiatus (at least partly)  
> When I finally had enough money to buy a new one I had to realise that all of my notes were gone (always safe your files on cloud people) so I had to re-plan the story and planned on editing the chapters I already uploaded.   
> After I did just that with the first chapter… well let´s say it was the end of October and I lost motivation for a bit.
> 
> But now I´m back and while updates wont be as regulary as I have still not finished re-planning the story I´ll try to get chapters out as often as possible.


End file.
